Designated Ports for International Travel with Instruments Containing Protected Species

UPDATED MAY 4, 2016

If you plan to travel internationally with CITES permits for musical instruments that contain Brazilian rosewood, elephant ivory, tortoiseshell, or another protected animal or plant species, you must travel through specific designated ports. It is important to contact the port in advance of travel to schedule an inspection and review related requirements.

In response to requests from the music community, on May 2, 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-APHIS) took action to double the number of ports through which musicians can travel with CITES permits when carrying both plant and animal material. FWS officials are now authorized to carry out inspections and credential documents when CITES permits contain both plant and animal material or if the instruments contain CITES plant material and any (CITES or non-CITES) wildlife material. Previously, such instruments could only pass through the nine port locations in which both FWS and USDA officials were present. The memorandum below verifies this helpful policy development:

If your musical instrument contains elephant ivory, tortoiseshell, or another protected animal-derived species, or if your CITES permit contains both plant and animal material, or if the instruments contain CITES plant material and any (CITES or non-CITES) wildlife material, you will need to travel through one of the following 18 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) designated ports:

ALASKA: Anchorage

CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles

CALIFORNIA: San Francisco

FLORIDA: Miami

GEORGIA: Atlanta

HAWAII: Honolulu

ILLINOIS: Chicago

KENTUCKY: Louisville

LOUISIANA: New Orleans

MARYLAND: Baltimore

MASSACHUSETTS: Boston

NEW JERSEY: Newark

NEW YORK: New York

OREGON: Portland

TENNESSEE: Memphis

TEXAS: Dallas/Ft. Worth

TEXAS: Houston

WASHINGTON: Seattle

PLANT

If your musical instrument contains a CITES-listed plant species, such as Brazilian rosewood, and no wildlife material, you will need to travel through one of the following 15 USDA-APHIS CITES designated ports: